Style

As I have mentioned before, my hair and scalp have the tendency to get dry and frizzy. Boo! I have written before about my regular essential oil scalp treatment, but from time to time it’s also good to treat my mane with a full on hair mask. I can’t even tell you how good this feels on your scalp when it’s cold! After it leaves your hair shiny and moisturized and if you have dandruff or a flaky scalp, this really helps nourish your skin at the roots of your hair. Since your roots at the scalp are the only part of your hair that is actually living, it’s a very important part to take care of!

Right before my shower (and after my muscle repair smoothie…note I used the other half of my banana for this), I whipped together a little DIY hair mask made of all natural ingredients found in my pantry. I mean, it’s basically good enough to eat, so you technically could give it a try.

Lemon and yogurt are good for dry scalp and are known to get rid of dandruff. The acidity of lemon can dry out your hair, but honey and coconut oil help counteract that by moisturizing. Oatmeal is known for helping get rid of itchiness and dryness as well, while also promoting hair growth. Just make sure you wash all the oatmeal out of your hair completely, or it will look like flakes too! That’s why it’s best to use it pre-cooked.

Ingredients

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons yogurt

1 tablespoon naturally refined coconut oil

1 tablespoon cooked oatmeal

Directions

Add all ingredients together and blend like a smoothie. Pour into a cup you’ll bring into the shower with you. Get your hair wet, and then part your hair, pouring a little of the mask directly onto your scalp. Massage it in, then move your hair to a new part and pour more. Continue this until your scalp is completely covered, then if you have extra, lather into the remaining hair. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This is a good time to shave your legs or chill in the bathtub! Then rinse out with lukewarm (not hot) water. Proceed to wash your hair like normal with a mild shampoo and conditioner.

Since my hair is the longest it’s been since my sophomore year of college, I braid it a lot to keep it out of my face. Plus big, thick, intricate braids are trendy right now, so bonus! When I wear it out and about different ways, I get a lot of people asking how I did it or how I do certain types of braids, so I wanted to start a “how to braid” series where I can show you easy step-by-step tutorials for various braids and hairstyles. First up, fishtail braids since it’s one of my faves and one that seems to intimidate the most people.

Now I should start by saying I am not one of those people that can just do every hairstyle with ease, so don’t be intimidated! A lot of people will look at different things I’ve done and say “well I could never do that to my hair because I suck at doing hair.” Stop. Just stop it. My hair is thick and coarse and kind of hard to work with, so it takes me a minute to try new styles, too.

I love the look of fishtail braids because they are so pretty and intricate, but for the longest time I looked at various video hair tutorials and I could never quite get the hang of it without it falling out two seconds later. Then I needed a mirror to redo it, which never worked! Finally I figured out how to move my hands to make it stick, and could do it without watching myself by the next day. Below is a little video of my fishtail braid hair tutorial. Be sure to subscribe to my channel as I’ll be sharing more coming soon!

Happy Monday everyone! It’s the start of a new week and I’m already asking, “is it Friday, yet?” Isn’t that why Mondays are the worst? Um, yes. Well hopefully I can make your Monday a little bit better!

First off, I added these adorable designs to my Angie’s Nest Etsy shop. Didn’t know I had a shop? I sell artwork, wall prints, and most recently I have started selling my vinyl designs you can iron on to make cute graphic tees, sweatshirts, bags, blankets, and plenty more.

What I love most about this? Well I am very particular about the way my shirts fit, so I’m always hesitant to buy certain cute styles without trying them on first — especially when I’m going to be paying all this money just for the saying/design I want only to have it fit funky. Plus if you and a group of friends want matching shirts (like my Fab5 friends and I make for race shirts all the time — see examples here) this is a great way to make sure you can all look and feel great in shirts you love.

Head on over to my Etsy shop to see more options. AND I’m also doing a loop giveaway with 10 other shops! You can enter to win two custom vinyl designs of your choice from me and 10 other amazing prizes from others! Just head on over to my Instagram @angiesnest to enter, look for the pic below, and get all the other deets!

Now that I’m at the end of my twenties (yes, lovelies, I am turning the big 3-0 this year) I have an emphasized need to take care of my skin. I have been pretty good wearing sunscreen, washing my face, and moisturizing until I had my son two years ago and while I do it as much as I can, I’m not quite as diligent. Damn kids.

Anyway, I learned this secret from a random lady back when I was a young little thang in college. Rewind to my 20-year-old self working the skincare and makeup counter and this cute older lady pulls me aside to whisper her secret to young looking skin that she had used nightly since her twenties. Before she told me she asked me how old I thought she was and in my head I guessed maybe early 60s…this woman was 84, people! I listened in. She told me every night she would prick a vitamin E capsule and use the oil inside on her face. It tightened and healed her skin and kept it pliable and young.

I have used this on and off since, but I got sick of opening a capsule all the time so I just bought this little dropper bottle off Amazon for $13.

To apply, at night just get a little bit of oil (seriously a little goes a long way) and apply to your “problem areas” or where you can tell your skin is thinning or wrinkling. I primarily use it right under my eyes and a teeny bit on my forehead. I wipe and excess on my neck, just for good measure. Then I will add a small layer of moisturizer on top just so I don’t feel so greasy going to bed. By morning the skin in that area absorbs it and you wake up feeling tighter and like your skin is moisturized and less prone to wrinkles.

Just remember, skin care is number one! The more you do when you’re young, the easier time you’ll have as you age. It’s a lot easier to care for good skin than it is to repair damaged skin so be good to yourselves!

I have long, thick hair so it my scalp doesn’t always get enough air to “breathe.” Add in living in a desert and the fact that it’s winter and I pretty much always get a dry scalp, sometimes itchy, sometimes flaky this time of year. I have tried so many things – washing it more (which actually makes it worse), special shampoos, special conditioning treatments, drying it with a hairdryer, hair oil. Some of these things will help a little, but not make it go away, at least for me.

Then I looked into stash of essential oils and had a thought. I did a little research and tried a few drops every day or every other day for a few weeks. I cannot express to you how well it has worked! It is sooo much better just from the oils. Within about 2 days there was no itchiness and 3-5 days the flakiness went away. Not even dandruff shampoo does that!

I used Doterra melaleuca (also known as tea tree oil), peppermint, lavender and lemon. Im actually not a huge fan of the smell of melaleuca, but I think mixed with the others it actually smell divine! These 4 mixed actually smells like some high end hair products I’ve used, so afterward you can just sniff your hair all day. Ha! I’m no oil expert but here’s what I recommend based on what worked for me.

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Essential Oil Mix for Hair and Scalp

4-5 drops peppermint oil

4-5 drops melaleuca oil

3 drops lavender oil

3 drops lemon oil

Directions:

Test all the oils on your skin to ensure you don’t have any topical sensitivity. I know melaleuca in particular can cause some sensitivity if you don’t have a pure enough oil. Open all the bottles and then drop oil directly into the palm of your cupped hand. Mix between your palms and fingers, then flip your head over, put your fingers through your hair, and rub oil onto your scalp. Move your hands around so you get it all over. You can wipe excess oil off onto your hair and ends.

I compiled a little research, so here is a little more info on each of these essential oils for your scalp.

Peppermint Oil for Scalp:Peppermint oil is an anti-inflammatory, promotes blood flow and soothes the itchiness. It leaves a tingly sensation on your scalp which feels so good! It helps rid of dandruff and even absorbs excess oil on the scalp. It moisturizes your hair and scalp while also promoting hair growth.

Melaleuca Oil: Also known as tea tree oil, Melaleuca is used commonly in various hair products for scalp and hair health. It’s a common anti-viral and anti-fungal and has been used for centuries to heal wounds.

Lavender Oil: Lavender is known for soothing and calming, and can be used to do the same on skin. If your scalp is particularly irritated, you can add it additional drops of this to your mix.

Lemon Oil: Lemon helps detox your body and contains anti-oxidants and helps ward off bacteria that can build up on the scalp. It has a fresh scent and I think helps tame out the smell of the other three.

Hello March, it’s finally sunny outside! Thank heavens. Utah is notorious for crazy weather, and the end of January felt like spring, only to launch straight back into a cold front (I know, imagine I had to deal with winter in the actual winter…it’s a rough life). Anyway, it is starting to get a little warmer, and this time of year always has me itching for spring since it’s one of my favorite times of year. Today I finally busted out my new floral pants I bought a few months ago on sale and paired it with graphic tee, chambray top, long necklace and sandals.